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Martha Galvis, left, and her husband, Alvaro, right, enjoy a visit from their neighbor while Martha was in the hospital recuperating from injuries she sustained in the Boston Marathon bombing. (Courtesy)

Marathon bombing victim home at last, if briefly

By BENJAMIN C. KLEINUnion Leader Correspondent

NASHUA — Nearly two months after being seriously injured during the Boston Marathon bombing, Martha Galvis made it home just in time to celebrate Father’s Day with her husband and children.

However, she will be heading back to Boston next Wednesday for her ninth, and hopefully last, surgery for a skin graft on her severely damaged hand.

“It was nice to have her home, but at the same time we were kind of leery being back home after being out for over 60 days, but we finally made it,” Martha’s husband, Alvaro, said.

Still, despite being back only temporarily, Alvaro said Martha is glad to be home. He said that being in a hospital for so long, surrounded by other patients, unfamiliar surroundings and doctors was starting to weigh on her.“Everything is a relief to have her home. It was too tense and too demanding to be at the hospital. It is different being home, but while it is nice, it will still take some time to adjust,” Alvaro said.Since coming home on Saturday, Alvaro said he and Martha have been busy, with a constant stream of physical and occupational therapists and nurses coming to work with Martha.

“I am overwhelmed. I have been meeting with lawyers about Social Security and disability and all that stuff. It is forms upon forms, and I don’t understand that stuff,” he said.

Martha, who is also learning to walk again because her leg was severely damaged, is still unsure how long she will have to spend in the hospital after her surgery next week.

“Hopefully it wont be too long,” Alvaro said.In the meantime, the couple’s children and siblings have traveled from as far away as Florida to spend a few weeks with them and help them readjust to being home.“A lot of people have been visiting, a lot of phone calls, but people have been kind to respect our privacy as well, knowing that this is very emotional for us,” Alvaro said.

Complicating matters for the Galvis family is that Alvaro was recently diagnosed with a small growth in his brain after complaining of forgetfulness and a lack of focus to the therapist who is treating him for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

“Despite this tragedy, it’s good they found this. If I had not been injured, most likely they would have never found it,” he said.

Alvaro will undergo an MRI in September, when doctors will be able to determine whether the growth is expanding.

“Doctor’s told me that usually this kind of thing is benign, but they just want to make sure,” Alvaro said.

Alvaro added that he and Martha are also in the process of finding out how much of their medical costs their insurance company will cover.

With Alvaro on disability and Martha unlikely to ever work again, money is a serious concern.

“I still don’t know how much medical debt we are in,” Alvaro said.

To help with their expenses, Alvaro and Martha’s children set up the Galvis Fund on www.giveforward.com, which has raised more than $60,000 to help cover their quickly ballooning expenses.